The detective asked a couple more questions. I told him everything I could remember. Then I saw Gran’s gray hair in the corner of the glass door again. Next her worried face. She knocked gently. Chicken was beside her. He pawed at the doorknob, and when the door swung open he rushed in, sat on my feet. Chicken was my dog now. One hundred percent.

“Your grandmother’s right. We’ve spoken enough for today. I appreciate how much you’re helping us, Rowan. It’s not easy.”

It wasn’t hard, either. Doing this. Being here with Maisy and Gran. It wasn’t hard at all.

MAISY

“Gloria always gave me medicine, too.”

“Did she?”

“It was green with vitamins because I could get a cough.”

“Well, this is pink with no vitamins. But the doctor said it will help your lungs get all better.” Gran put a spoonful in my mouth.

Gran’s place was different from home. It was too warm and had soft carpet and smelled like flowers, same as Mrs. Spooner’s. She let me sleep in Uncle Rick’s blue room because Uncle Rick lived far away. Rowan was in the room next to mine. Chicken didn’t have a corner downstairs, so sometimes he slept in with Rowan and sometimes he slept in with me. Gran said he didn’t play favorites.

Gloria’s old bedroom was at the end of the hall. Gran kept that door closed, but when I peeked inside there was striped wallpaper and a huge bed with a top part, and a little white table with a mirror, and a whole shelf of dolls.

Gran caught me being sneaky, but she didn’t get mad. She put her hand on my shoulder and said, real soft, “Don’t know why I kept them after your mom took off. Silly, really. Trying to hold onto better times.”

I nodded.

“Your mother was such a beautiful child.” Gran took a big breath. “Maybe I never told her often enough.” Then she put her other hand on her cheek. “Or maybe I told her too much.”

She let me go in and pick out a doll. I found one that looked just like Jenny the Head, but she had a real body and arms and legs that moved. I liked that she had a place for her heart.

“Hey, Turtle, what’s her name?” Rowan was standing at the door.

“Little Jenny,” I said, and then I went out of Gloria’s room and into Uncle Rick’s. I closed the door.